Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/17/15 #FightForDyett

SPECIAL NITE CAP 

CORPORATE ED REFORM

Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests | EdSource

Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests | EdSource: Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of testsA bucket of forms to opt out children of Common Core-aligned tests sits at a protest in May 2015 at Yorba Linda High School.A parents group claims a Los Angeles County school district failed to notify parents of their right to opt their children o

by mike simpson / 0min 

Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core? » Missouri Education Watchdog

Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core? » Missouri Education Watchdog: Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core?The Brookings Institute published a report which must be causing must consternation in the pro-Common Core circles.  It’s increasingly apparent that all that money and all the time many education reformers spent ridiculing parents who dared to question the NGO takeover of pri

by mike simpson / 1h 

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me: Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me Sometimes I wonder why my head doesn't just explode:With 300 people filling a shiny new auditorium for speeches and cheers, the ribbon-cutting held yesterday at the new KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in Camden at times seemed as much

by mike simpson / 3h 

Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.” | Fred Klonsky

Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.” | Fred Klonsky: Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.”Milwaukee school board vice-president, Larry Miller.Recently I had the chance to sit down with Milw

by mike simpson / 3h 

House Republicans want to give teachers a break - The Washington Post

House Republicans want to give teachers a break - The Washington Post: House Republicans want to give teachers a breakTeachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies — most of the nation’s nearly 4 million K-12 teachers — would be eligible for a permanent tax credit of up to $250 annually for unreimbursed expenses, under a bill passed by the House Ways and Means committee on Thursday.The

by mike simpson / 4h 

Class Act | EduShyster

Class Act | EduShyster: Class ActWhy a civil rights law suit to lift the charter cap in Massachusetts could turn out to be the worst idea charter proponents have ever had…Quick reader: when is it perfectly appropriate to wear white after Labor Day? Why, when one is a legal eagle of the *white shoe* variety. This week, three of Boston’s whitest white shoe law firms, WilmerHale, Goodwin Procter LLP

by mike simpson / 4h 

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Teachers Stick Around

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Teachers Stick Around: Should Teachers Stick AroundAt Bellwether, Chad Aldeman wants us to know that the classic teacher retirement plan "shortchanges teachers."Aldeman's entire argument rests on a curious assumption--  but let's see what he's saying, first.His point is a two-parter, and you can follow link one and link two to read his briefs at length if you like.

by mike simpson / 4h 

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth": HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth"Test results for IL's 2,000,000 students have plummeted to their lowest point in a decade. They purport to show nearly 70% of them failing the PARCC. Pearson will deliver the rest of the test r

by mike simpson / 5h 

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway | VAMboozled!

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway | VAMboozled!: New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit UnderwayYou might recall, from a post last March, that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” Plaintiffs are more specifically charging that the state’s current

by mike simpson / 5h 

NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE – The Network For Public Education

NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE – The Network For Public Education: NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESEThe Network for Public Education is proud to endorse Lee Barrios for the District 1 seat on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). “Lee Barrios has been a steadfast champion of better education for all children in Louisiana,” NPE President Diane Ravitch said. “I am so h

by mike simpson / 7h 

LAUSD Board Pres Steve Zimmer on the winner-take-all attitudes that are hurting public schools

Interview: Schoolyard Scuffles | The Argonaut Newspaper: LAUSD Board of Education President Steve Zimmer on the winner-take-all attitudes that are hurting public schoolsThe new Common Core state standardized test results are in, and they don’t look great for LAUSD.Nearly a year after the departure of Supt. John Deasy, the school district still awaits new permanent executive leadership.Traditional

by mike simpson / 7h 

It’s Constitution Day: A quiz to see how much you know - The Washington Post

It’s Constitution Day: A quiz to see how much you know - The Washington Post: It’s Constitution Day: A quiz to see how much you knowHere, again, is our annual quiz on Constitution Day, which occurs every year on Sept. 17 and which could be called the U.S. government’s birthday.Constitution Day was created by Congress in 2004 to require that all schools which receive federal funding offer some type

by mike simpson / 9h 

This Week In Education: Thompson: Hess & Jennings Cast Doubt on NCLB

This Week In Education: Thompson: Hess & Jennings Cast Doubt on NCLB: Thompson: Hess & Jennings Cast Doubt on NCLBThe conservative spawn of the devil, Rick Hess, writes: "The acid test, I'd think, is whether they [test score increases] carry over to what matters: success in high school, college, and beyond. A decade of stagnant high school metrics is not reassuring, and it's possible

by mike simpson / 9h 

Opt Out Philly to take part in National Parent Strike on Sept. 17 - Working Educators

Opt Out Philly to take part in National Parent Strike on Sept. 17 - Working Educators: Opt Out Philly to take part in National Parent Strike on Sept. 17Opt Out Philly will be a part of the National Parent’s Strike. It’s not just a day it’s a national movement for parents to take back public education one test score at a time!On Thursday, September 17, Opt Out Philly is participating in the Nationa

by mike simpson / 9h 

The Republican Debate: Did YOU Hear Education Mentioned?

The Republican Debate: Did YOU Hear Education Mentioned?: The Republican Debate: Did YOU Hear Education Mentioned?I did not remain glued to the screen when the debate was on last night, so when I stepped away, maybe it was then that they mentioned education and public schools.I must have missed it.Yes. I’m sure that was it. My guess is that they thoroughly discussed, at some point, the backbone of

by mike simpson / 9h 

How To Make The Most Of Your 10 Minutes With The Teacher : NPR Ed : NPR

How To Make The Most Of Your 10 Minutes With The Teacher : NPR Ed : NPR: How To Make The Most Of Your 10 Minutes With The TeacherSo you finally get the chance to meet one-on-one with your child's teacher — now what?Like a good Boy Scout, be prepared: Educators agree that doing your homework before a parent-teacher conference can make a big difference.The Harvard Family Research Project's Tip Sheet

by mike simpson / 10h 

CURMUDGUCATION: The Public Education Dream

CURMUDGUCATION: The Public Education Dream: The Public Education DreamAs much time as I spend writing about what I think people get wrong, it's important to keep some focus on what I want to see done right. So let's look at the major issues in education these days and consider what the positive outcome would be in a perfect world, and what would be a hopeful outcome in the real world.SCHOOL CHOICE

by mike simpson / 10h 

Bronin Wins Hartford Democratic Primary for Mayor declaring – “We Did It.” - Wait What?

Bronin Wins Hartford Democratic Primary for Mayor declaring – “We Did It.” - Wait What?: Bronin Wins Hartford Democratic Primary for Mayor declaring – “We Did It.”Promising to plow all the snow off Hartford’s streets, cut taxes, expand city services, create jobs, properly fund the public schools and provide corporate welfare to any company that is thinking of leaving or coming to Hartford, Greenwi

by mike simpson / 10h 

FERC Fasters In Solidarity With Dyett12 | PopularResistance.Org #FightForDyett

FERC Fasters In Solidarity With Dyett12 | PopularResistance.Org: FERC Fasters In Solidarity With Dyett12Washington, DC –  Beyond Extreme Energy (BXE) fasted in solidarity with organizers and hunger strikers working to reopen the Dyett highschool with a green energy curriculum. This was the 9th day of the BXE fast and the 30th day of the Dyett hunger strike. BXE is fasting at the Federal Energy Reg

by mike simpson / 10h 

The Proxy Wars That Constrain African Americans - The Atlantic

The Proxy Wars That Constrain African Americans - The Atlantic: Race Is Always the IssueBlackness has been relentlessly disparaged in American discourse—both covertly and overtly.Every conversation about resources in the United States is also about race and racism. Like parents choosing a neighborhood for its “good schools,” Americans talk about prison and crime as a means of discussing race and r

by mike simpson / 11h 

New Report Decries Theft of Democracy in State School Takeovers | janresseger

New Report Decries Theft of Democracy in State School Takeovers | janresseger: New Report Decries Theft of Democracy in State School TakeoversThe Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools is pushing back against the rush by state legislatures to take over the poorest schools in America’s big cities—in many cases to seize entire school districts—and run them without the oversight of an elected local school b

by mike simpson / 11h 

California Democrats Starve Public Education

California Democrats Starve Public Education: California Democrats Starve Public EducationWe are often told that the right wing is acting to destroy public education with people like Wisconsin’s Governor Republican Scott Walker and the Koch brothers being properly vilified. For example, American Federation of Teacher’s President Randi Weingarten has written that, “We need to tell Govs. Tom Corbett

by mike simpson / 11h 

YESTERDAY

Shiny objects and false narratives: Time to refuse it all | educationalchemy

Shiny objects and false narratives: Time to refuse it all | educationalchemy: Shiny objects and false narratives: Time to refuse it allJoanne Weiss is the author of an article entitled Competing Principles:Race to the Top, a $4 billion US education reform effort, produced valuable lessons on designing a competition-based program.Here’s the main page at Stanford: Competing Principles (SSIR)Weiss’ m

by mike simpson / 19h 

Seattle teachers' approach in contract fight drew on broad, community-based issues | OregonLive.com

Seattle teachers' approach in contract fight drew on broad, community-based issues | OregonLive.com: Seattle teachers' approach in contract fight drew on broad, community-based issuesMargaret Gingrich, a second-grade teacher at Montlake Elementary school, carries a picket sign as she and other members of the Seattle Education Association, the union that represents striking teachers from the Seattl

by mike simpson / 20h 

Teachers' union head spars with education reformer over New Orleans | Washington Examiner

Teachers' union head spars with education reformer over New Orleans | Washington Examiner: Teachers' union head spars with education reformer over New OrleansDid New Orleans adequately address problems facing special needs students in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? Influential figures on both sides of the debate met on the same stage Wednesday.The conservative American Enterprise Institute hosted

by mike simpson / 20h 

Another One: Illinois Releases PARCC Results | deutsch29

Another One: Illinois Releases PARCC Results | deutsch29: Another One: Illinois Releases PARCC ResultsIt seems that early release of PARCC test results is all the rage among PARCC states. At first, PARCC was reluctant on September 10, 2015, to release its complete set of freshly-minted cut scores, but it did so by the end of the day.The word from PARCC communications director, David Connerty-Marin

by mike simpson / 20h 

What It Takes to Build a Truly Equitable Education System - NEA Today

What It Takes to Build a Truly Equitable Education System - NEA Today: What It Takes to Build a Truly Equitable Education SystemA brief released on Tuesdy by the National Education Policy Center (NEPC) and supported in part by the Great Lake Center for Education Research & Practice underscores much of the same vision NEA has on providing equitable opportunities for every student—opportunities

by mike simpson / 23h hide  //  save

Special Nite Cap: Catch Up on Today's Post 9/16/15 #FightForDyett

SPECIAL NITE CAP CORPORATE ED REFORMMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: After all the wasted test-prep hours and Common Core testing madness...Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: After all the wasted test-prep hours and Common Core testing madness...: After all the wasted test-prep hours and Common Core testing madness..."We've been writing and meeting with ISBE officials for over two years to stop thi

1 by mike simpson / 1d 

Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests | EdSource

Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests | EdSource:

Lawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests

A bucket of forms to opt out children of Common Core-aligned tests sits at a protest in May 2015 at Yorba Linda High School.

A parents group claims a Los Angeles County school district failed to notify parents of their right to opt their children out of Common Core-aligned tests in a lawsuit filed this week.

Concerned Parents of California filed the lawsuit against Walnut Valley Unified School Districtin Los Angeles Superior Court, saying that parent letters excluded information on opting out of Smarter Balanced assessments, according to the suit. Walnut Valley Unified, east of Los Angeles, has 14,500 students in kindergarten through 12th grades.

Matt Witmer, assistant superintendent for educational services at Walnut Valley Unified, declined to comment about the lawsuit because district officials had not received it as of Thursday morning.

But Witmer said the district “complied fully with the law” and followed the California Department of Education’s guidance when notifying parents about the Smarter Balanced assessments before they were given for the first time in the spring.

Brad Dacus, the lawyer who is representing Concerned Parents, said he has heard complaints statewide about districts failing to follow state law in telling parents about their opt-out rights. (See California Education Code 60615 and California Code of Regulations 852b.)

GOING DEEPER

EdSource’s database of Smarter Balanced Assessment results

California Department of Education’s sample letter to parents about Smarter Balanced testing

Students in handful of California schools opt out of Common Core tests

But Walnut Valley was chosen for the lawsuit because he knew parents in that district who received notices that excluded information about opting out, Dacus said.

“Without any doubt, this is not an isolated incident,” said Dacus, the president and founder of the Pacific Justice Institute, a legal defense organization that focuses on religious freedoms and parental rights. “This is a statewide problem and it needs to be corrected in school districts across the state of California. We’re hopeful this case will open the eyes of school districts across the state to correct their policies to ensure adequate notice.”

The lawsuit asks that the district comply with the law and award attorney’s fees to the parent group.

The Concerned Parents group has members statewide, including parents of students in Walnut Valley, the suit states. Concerned Parents chapters and the Pacific Justice Institute have been active in fighting the Common Core curriculum and tests.

The results of the Smarter Balanced assessments, part of the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, were released last week. The assessments gauge students’ knowledge in English and math based on Common Core standards.

Out of 3.2 million students statewide, about 19,000 had parental exemptions from the tests, according topreliminary estimates. Final opt-out numbers are expected to be released next month.

While less than 1 percent of students opted out of the tests in California, other states have had far more objections. In Washington, about half of the high school juniors refused to take the test. About 20 percent of New York students opted out of the tests.

Sarah Tully covers the Common Core and early education in the Los Angeles area. Email her or Follow her on Twitter. Sign up here for a no-cost online subscription to EdSource Today for reports from the largest education reporting team in California.

Sign up here for a no-cost online subscription to EdSource Today for reports from the largest education reporting team in CaliforniaLawsuit: Schools failed to inform parents of right to opt out of tests | EdSource:

Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core? » Missouri Education Watchdog

Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core? » Missouri Education Watchdog:

Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core?

The Brookings Institute published a report which must be causing must consternation in the pro-Common Core circles.  It’s increasingly apparent that all that money and all the time many education reformers spent ridiculing parents who dared to question the NGO takeover of private education was a losing proposition.  More and more parents and legislators are deciding they should not embrace educational reform that is like building an airplane while it is flying and they don’t like educational theory masquerading as fact.  From Support for Common Core continues to wane:

The national results depict an emerging trend of thawing support for the standards. Support for the Common Core Standards has decreased every year since 2012. For the first time, in 2015, support for the standards declined from a majority to a plurality, and opposition continued to rise. The number of people who do not support the standards has quintupled since 2012, and increased 9 points from last year (26 percent) to this year (35 percent). This growing opposition stems from many diverse sources, which are identified and critiqued by Patrick McGuinn in a recent series of Chalkboardposts.

The supporters knew that they were facing political headwinds as early as 2013.  Matt Gandall, NGO education reformer, was retained by Bill Maybe Even Gates Money Can’t Save Common Core? » Missouri Education Watchdog:

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me

Jersey Jazzman: Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me:

Massive Norcross Hypocrisy: Competition Is Good For Schools, But Bad For Me

Sometimes I wonder why my head doesn't just explode:

With 300 people filling a shiny new auditorium for speeches and cheers, the ribbon-cutting held yesterday at the new KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy in Camden at times seemed as much a precursor of the city’s educational future as it was a celebration of the opening of a school. 

The event marked the opening of the first new “renaissance school” built under the Urban Hope Act of 2012 that brought the hybrid charter schools to New Jersey and, specifically, Camden. 

The speakers were familiar names in Camden circles: Mayor Dana Redd; U.S. Rep. Donald Norcross, who authored the Urban Hope Act when he was a state senator; and Susan Bass Levin, president and CEO of Cooper Foundation. 

Sitting in the front row was George Norcross III, chairman of Cooper University Health Care and the chief driver of the school’s rise from a vacant lot next to the hospital. [emphasis mine]

Because it's now standard operating procedure in America to throw everything down the memory hole, a little history is in order:

The vacant lot that this KIPP school sits on today was supposed to be for a public district school. The state promised that it would build the school to serve all of the students in the Lanning Square area. And as the city school board waited for the state to fulfill its promises, it rebuffed an effort to bring KIPP into Camden, perhaps motivated by the fact - See more at: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2015/09/massive-norcross-hypocrisy-competition.html#sthash.CSUjZ2eI.dpuf

Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.” | Fred Klonsky

Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.” | Fred Klonsky:

Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.”

Milwaukee school board vice-president, Larry Miller.

Recently I had the chance to sit down with Milwaukee school board member, Larry Miller, to talk about the lessons he has drawn from the fight against Wisconsin governor Scott Walker – Fred Klonsky

Tell my readers about yourself.

I taught for 15 years in Milwaukee Public Schools and for 2 years was a principal at a small high school. I ran for the school board of Milwaukee Public Schools and I am now midway in my second 4-year term and serve as vice-president of the board. I am also an editor ofRethinking Schools.

We know about Gov. Walker’s attack on workers, unions and bargaining rights. What are some of the ways it has impacted students in classrooms in Milwaukee?

Walker and the Republican legislature have driven thousands of qualified and dedicated teachers from the profession in Wisconsin. The cuts in funding for public education have been disastrous. Walker cut nearly $1 billion statewide from public education when he first took office. Milwaukee Public Schools lost $80 million with those cuts. Over the past five years, the legislature followed with more cuts to public schools and increased funding to vouchers and private charters. There are presently over 26,000 students receiving private school vouchers in the city of Milwaukee – many of them students at parochial schools who were already enrolled when they began using vouchers.

All of this has meant increased class sizes, reduced resources and expanding stress to the one school system that has the capacity and will to teach all students. For many schools the funding for the arts, physical education, school nurses and librarians is reduced. Our children are suffering.

I was in Madison during the early protest of Walker policies. Some protests had over Milwaukee school board vice-president Larry Miller and the lessons of Wisconsin. “Compromise with the tea-party Republicans is not an option.” | Fred Klonsky:

House Republicans want to give teachers a break - The Washington Post

House Republicans want to give teachers a break - The Washington Post:

House Republicans want to give teachers a break

Teachers who spend their own money on classroom supplies — most of the nation’s nearly 4 million K-12 teachers — would be eligible for a permanent tax credit of up to $250 annually for unreimbursed expenses, under a bill passed by the House Ways and Means committee on Thursday.

The tax credit, which would be adjusted with inflation, would be available to any K-12 teacher, instructor, counselor, principal, or aide who purchases supplies, equipment or software to be used in the classroom. The credit could also be applied to the cost of professional development.

Teachers had already been eligible for a $250 tax credit but that provision had expired in January and had not been indexed for inflation.

“This tax deduction is timely, permanent, and will go a long way toward making sure educators continue to provide what students need to succeed,” said Lily Eskelsen García, president of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union.

[Homeless kids in K-12 reach an all-time high]

According to a survey by the National School Supply and Equipment Association, 99.5 percent of all public school teachers spend their own money on classroom supplies and equipment. During the 2012-13 school year, educators spent a total of $1.6 billion from their own pockets on supplies and materials, the survey found. That means the average teacher spent $485 and 10 percent spent at least $1,000.

“Public schools are still feeling the impact of the growing number of homeless students and of students living in poverty,” Eskelsen Garcia said. “As a result, too often educators across the country sacrifice and reach into their own pockets to buy supplies and materials that help meet students’ basic needs.”

According to new federal data, the number of homeless children in public House Republicans want to give teachers a break - The Washington Post:

Class Act | EduShyster

Class Act | EduShyster:

Class Act

Why a civil rights law suit to lift the charter cap in Massachusetts could turn out to be the worst idea charter proponents have ever had…

Quick reader: when is it perfectly appropriate to wear white after Labor Day? Why, when one is a legal eagle of the *white shoe* variety. This week, three of Boston’s whitest white shoe law firms, WilmerHale, Goodwin Procter LLP and FoleyHoag LLP, filed a class action law suit on behalf of the kids, vs the state’s charter cap—a  day that we secretly feared would never arrive due to the seemingly universally held opinion that the suit is a terrible idea.

Defend this!
The suit names as defendants the state’s education commissioner, Mitchell D. Chester, the nine members of the state Board of Education, board chair Paul Sagan and Secretary of Education James Peyser. That sound that you just heard, reader, was my fingers laughing whilst typing, a sentiment I think I also detected in this Globestory, which captures the irony that the defendants also happen to be amongst the most prominent proponents of charter schools in the state.

Peyser and Sagan are being targeted because they are responsible for enforcing the charter cap even though they, like Governor Baker, oppose it. Peyser is a nationally known charter school advocate who helped launch the charter school movement in Massachusetts. Sagan is a former chairman of 

Class Act | EduShyster:

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Teachers Stick Around

CURMUDGUCATION: Should Teachers Stick Around:

Should Teachers Stick Around

At Bellwether, Chad Aldeman wants us to know that the classic teacher retirement plan "shortchanges teachers."

Aldeman's entire argument rests on a curious assumption--  but let's see what he's saying, first.

His point is a two-parter, and you can follow link one and link two to read his briefs at length if you like. But I think we can hit the drift of his gist pretty quickly.

Aldeman's argument is that it takes many years-- 25 (and he adds an exclamation point, like, good lord! can you even imagine someone staying in teaching for an entire twenty-five years!)-- for a teacher to have a pension that's worth as much or more than her contributions to the fund. When Aldeman says that the program shortchanges teachers, he actually means "teachers who aren't in teaching for an entire career."

It’s commonly accepted that public-sector workers such as teachers trade lower salaries for higher job security and more generous benefits. But that trade only works well for the small minority of teachers who actually stick around until retirement. 

I would argue that the pension set-up is long-term as an incentive for teachers to be teachers for the long haul, that like seniority protections and job security and the other features of employment, it CURMUDGUCATION: Should Teachers Stick Around:

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth"

Mike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth":

HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth"

Test results for IL's 2,000,000 students have plummeted to their lowest point in a decade. They purport to show nearly 70% of them failing the PARCC. Pearson will deliver the rest of the test results on Monday and then it will take the state board two more weeks to check the data. But the results were a foregone conclusion long before the tests were given.

Rauner's schools chief Tony Smith, whistling past the graveyard.

"I think the promise of PARCC is greater than the promise of most of the other assessments we’ve ever had. Kids can test to the edge of their knowledge."

Arne Duncan agrees...

"It actually doesn't concern me at all. What Illinois and many other states are doing is finally telling the truth." (EdWeek)

Yes, the truth. Duncan doesn't even have to see the numbers to know that they tellthe truth. In fact, numbers only confuse him.

DAY 32 of the Dyett hunger strike. Don't miss Carol Marin's excellent interviewMike Klonsky's SmallTalk Blog: HUNGER STRIKE, DAY 32 -- 70% fail PARCC exam. Duncan calls it, 'telling the truth":

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway | VAMboozled!

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway | VAMboozled!:

New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway

You might recall, from a post last March, that the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined by the Albuquerque Teachers Federation, filed a “Lawsuit in New Mexico Challenging [the] State’s Teacher Evaluation System.” Plaintiffs are more specifically charging that the state’s current teacher evaluation system is unfair, error-ridden, harming teachers, and depriving students of high-quality educators (see the actual lawsuit here).

Well, testimonies started yesterday in Santa Fe, and as one of the expert witnesses on the plaintiffs’ side, I was there to witness the first day of examinations. While I will not comment on my impressions at this point, because I will be testifying this Monday and would like to save all of my comments until I’m on the stand, I will say it was quite an interesting day indeed, for both sides.

What I do feel comfortable sharing at this point, though, is an article that The New Mexicanreporter Robert Nott wrote, as he too attended the full day in court. His article, essentially about the state of New Mexico “Getting it Right,” captures the gist of the day. I say this duly noting that only witnesses on the plaintiffs’ side were examined, and also cross-examined yesterday. Plaintiffs’ witnesses will continue this Monday, and defendants’ witnesses will continue thereafter, also this Monday, and likely one more day to be scheduled thereafter.

But as for the highlights, as per Nott’s article:

• “Joel Boyd, [a highly respected] superintendent of the Santa Fe Public Schools, testified that ‘glaring errors’ have marred the state’s ratings of teachers in his district.” He testified that “We should pause and get it right,” also testifying that “the state agency has not proven itself capable of identifying either effective or ineffective teachers.” Last year when Boyd challenged his district’s 1,000 or so teachers’ rankings, New Mexico’s Public Education Department (PED) “ultimately yielded and increased numerous individual teacher rankings…[which caused]..the district’s overall rating [to improve] by 17 percentage points.”
• State Senator Bill Soules, who is also a recently retired teacher, testified that “his last evaluation included data from 18 students he did not teach. ‘Who are those 18 students who I am being evaluated on?’ he asked the judge.”
• One of the defendant’s attorneys later defended the state’s data, stating “education department records show that there were only 712 queries from districts regarding the accuracy of teacher evaluation results in 2014-15. Of those, the state changed just 31 ratings after reviewing challenges.” State Senator Soules responded, however, that “a [i.e., one] query may include many teachers.” For example, Albuquerque Public Schools (APS) purportedly put in one single query that included “hundreds, if not thousands” of questions about that district’s set of teacher evaluations.

In fact, most if not all of the witnesses who testified not only argued, but evidenced, how New Mexico’s Teacher Evaluation Lawsuit Underway | VAMboozled!:

NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE – The Network For Public Education

NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE – The Network For Public Education:

NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE

The Network for Public Education is proud to endorse Lee Barrios for the District 1 seat on the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). “Lee Barrios has been a steadfast champion of better education for all children in Louisiana,” NPE President Diane Ravitch said. “I am so happy that we can endorse her, and we do so enthusiastically!”

Barrios retired from teaching in 2010 and became a full-time advocate, working to protect public education in her home state. Barrios has a long list of qualifications for a seat on BESE. She is a retired National Board Certified Teacher with a Masters Degree in Secondary Education; a founding member of the Coalition for Louisiana Public Education, which represents classroom teachers; the Information Coordinator for Save Our Schools – LA; and she was a founding member of the Parent Coalition for Student Privacy, which worked to expose inBloom around the country.

Her opponent is James Garvey, who is running for his third term on BESE. He is a part of the board majority that supports charter schools, high stakes testing, vouchers, Common Core, VAM, and controversial Louisiana state superintendent John White. Garvey has well over $200,000 in his campaign coffers. Garvey entered the race with almost $160,000 left over from his previous campaign, and another $40,000 has been donated to his current campaign by four Political Action Committees (PACs) formed by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry. Seehere, here, here, and here.

Barrios is well aware that she is up against powerful, moneyed interests, and has a clear sense of how dangerous market-based education reform is to the cause of public education.

“The market-based model that is driving reform since the 2001 federal No Child Left Behind Act has not contributed to meaningful, lasting improvements in education. Privatization of our public school system will only diminish the education opportunities to which every Louisiana child is constitutionally guaranteed. Market-based reforms remove the community-based system and its democratic foundation. Privatization is profit driven.”

She has made a name for herself in Louisiana by attending countless BESE meetings, and speaking out against policies adopted by the state board that are detrimental to children and to public education. Her advocacy has won her the respect and endorsement of educators and education advocates, such as teacher, researcher, author, and blogger Mercedes Schneider.

“Over the last several years, retired teacher Lee Barrios has been relentless in her efforts to hold Louisiana state superintendent John White and the state board accountable to the public. She regularly attends BESE meetings and speaks at those meetings, knowledgeably questioning a board chiefly bent on privatizing the very public education system it is supposed to represent.

It is beyond time for Lee Barrios to become a BESE member and to increase her leverage in advocating for Louisiana public education. I can think of no one more qualified to represent the BESE district in which I live, and I will most certainly be casting my vote for her.”

Barrios has also earned the endorsement of New Orleans parent advocate Karran Harper Royal.

“I absolutely endorse Lee Barrios. She has been a consistent and committed educatorfocused on what is best for our children. Lee has been an excellent watchdog as legislation pertaining to education is debated in our state. She gives excellent analyses of various policies and laws, always with a focus on what is in the best interests of our children. We need Lee Barrios on the BESE now.”

Barrios has developed pointed platform positions, including returning local control to districts; replacing Common Core standards with Louisiana standards created by educators; appointing a qualified, experience educator as Superintendent; and removing high-stakes from state assessments.

These no nonsense positions resonate with educators, and those actively engaged in the day-to-day work of serving children in Louisiana’s public schools. Neal Hennegan, a school board member in St. Tammany Parish, said, “I know Lee Barrios to be an outstanding and highly effective educator. She is a staunch supporter of high quality public education and I believe she will serve the families of BESE District 1 exceptionally well.”

Louisiana lawmakers engaged in the struggle to preserve and protect public education have also taken note of Barrios’ advocacy work. Louisiana Representative Brett Geymann said:

“Lee has been instrumental in providing expertise and information about standards and testing as we fought the Common Core battle. Her willingness to be engaged in the process and provide assistance to the parents in their fight to take back control of the education of their children has been very valuable. The progress we have made in the battle to return local control of education could have never been accomplished without her help.”

NPE believes that Lee Barrios has clearly demonstrated her commitment to Louisiana’s public schools, and we hope you will do what you can to support her grassroots campaign. Previous campaigns from coast to coast have proven that pro-public education candidates can defeat connected, well-funded reformsters. Please visit Lee’s website and Facebook page, and donate, volunteer, or just help spread the word about her campaign for the District 1 seat on BESE.NPE Endorses Lee Barrios for BESE – The Network For Public Education:

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LEE P.BARRIOS FOR BESE 1 Web Site

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LAUSD Board Pres Steve Zimmer on the winner-take-all attitudes that are hurting public schools

Interview: Schoolyard Scuffles | The Argonaut Newspaper:

LAUSD Board of Education President Steve Zimmer on the winner-take-all attitudes that are hurting public schools

The new Common Core state standardized test results are in, and they don’t look great for LAUSD.

Nearly a year after the departure of Supt. John Deasy, the school district still awaits new permanent executive leadership.

Traditional public school enrollment is declining as charter schools pick up more students and move into empty LAUSD classrooms, while specialized education programs designed to keep families from leaving the district are encountering resistance from neighborhood schools.

Steve Zimmer, the longtime Westside LAUSD board member who became president of the board in July, has a lot on his plate.

A former high school teacher and counselor, Zimmer says he hopes to chart a different course than past LAUSD board presidents — one less-defined by political friction and internal division. But he does not mince words about his dislike of the California Charter Schools Association, whose independent expenditure committee spent heavily against him during his 2013 reelection bid, a race that drew national attention due to the involvement of billionaire Eli Broad and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Zimmer takes personal responsibility for the failure in June of his plan to transfer the popular Mandarin Chinese dual language immersion program from Broadway Elementary School in Venice to a new, $30-million facility on the Mark Twain Middle School campus in Mar Vista. Believing that most stakeholders would accept the program as part of a larger vision for a Westside language education pipeline was a critical mistake, he says.

“I was broadcasting a perspective that was shared by a very few,” Zimmer says. “I vastly overestimated the reservoir of goodwill, which is completely dry on the Westside. And there is not a first assumption of goodwill.”

— Gary Walker

What went wrong with your plan to move the Mandarin immersion students to Mark Twain?

Change is very hard for people. I don’t think, theoretically, that it was the wrong strategy, and three years ago it had a lot of support at many levels. What I should have understood was how difficult the fight would be to support a program but ensure the support for that program did not cause collateral damage to children in other programs.

I don’t think there will be a revisiting of a large construction project at Mark Twain, at least not in the immediate future. The pain is just too extreme, and without a willingness to do the kind of work that would be necessary to use this space in a different way and not create a major disruption in people’s lives, it cannot work. You have to have an absolute commitment to it at every level. And to force it down people’s throats at this point would have very negative reverberations.

Does this jeopardize your plans for the dual-language immersion pipeline?

I don’t think it will because I think it’s too strong. The challenge for LAUSD is to balance all of these things and approach our role as a district that can embrace, build and promote programs that will grow enrollment. The multi-language future of Venice is not just about Mandarin immersion. We have excellent programs in Spanish immersion at Grand View [Boulevard Elementary School] and an emerging program at Broadway that are also integral components.

Given that they’re back to sharing space at Broadway, what’s the future for the Mandarin program?

It is an outstanding instructional program and it is capable of adjusting. I have mad respect for the families who have endured the struggle with the Mandarin immersion program and who continue to believe that this can be done through the public school system. To say that we would lose the program if it was divided Interview: Schoolyard Scuffles | The Argonaut Newspaper: